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A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 1: 1-11
The wording of this tradition on the ascension of our Lord is clearly conditioned by the limited understanding of the universe during the writer's lifetime. This wording is not part of divine revelation. There is no absolute up or down. Heaven is not a place somewhere up in outer space. Heaven is a situation outside our concepts of time and space. What the evangelists have tried to do is describe the final appearance of Jesus and/ or the fact that the Lord Jesus is "sitting at God's right hand, " which is a Hebrew idiom for sharing power with God.
Luke's message is: Christ has died ("after he had suffered "), Christ has risen (" he presented himself alive to them"), Christ will come again (" this Jesus... will return").
The Responsorial Psalm is that that we put our trust in Jesus because of his love and kindness and that he has done great things for us, so we should be filled with joy and love for him and to be like him.
in your self-giving. He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The Lord hears the cry of the poor!
A Reading, From the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians
Eph 1:17-23
Paul, a learned Jewish rabbi, relates the same message as Luke and Matthew do in the first and third readings, only he does it in difficult theological language. Paul relates the risen and ascended Christ to all that exists. Christ is supreme, above all creatures, seated at God's right hand.
Paul prays for the Ephesians and for all of us: "May... God... give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him [ the Lord Jesus].
In the Gospel of Matthew
Mt. 28:16-20
In Matthew's version of the ascension account, the appearance takes place on a mountain. As the great appearance of God to Moses took place on Mount Sinai, so Matthew has Jeus' great sermon delivered on a mountain, and the transfiguration take place on a mountain as well. This final appearance of Jesus on a mountain has theological significance for Matthew, who as a Jew writing for Christians of Jewish background constantly writes with concepts and allusions taken from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
We should keep in mind that the primary significance of the Easter appearances is that they were revelations of the risen Lord Jesus. They could be doubted as well as believed. But once the disciples believed, they "worshiped him," and with admirable dedication they heeded the Lord's mission and went out to all nations to preach the Gospel. "And behold, I am with you always"- a great assurance to 'the pilgrim Church" on its way to a great future!
Newsy Notes
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Deacon Bob Brazier, CRE
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REMEMBER
Confirmation
Congratulations to our 8th Grade class! It was an awesome Confirmation Ceremony at the Cathedral and to be part of it! I am very proud of all of you!
1st Communion
Congratulations to our 2nd grade students on their 1st Eucharistic Communion that they received. It was a very beautiful Mass, and the boys were very handsome, and the girls were very beautiful in their dresses. Once again Congratulations to our 2nd graders!
Address future PSR and Sacramental Preparation Questions to:
Deacon Bob Brazier at bbrazier@sttm.org
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